Wesley Crusher On The Prairie
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Laura Ingalls meets a boy her age from five hundred years in the future
1. The Arrival

Laura was walking home from school with Mary when she saw him standing alone in a field. His clothing was the most unusual she had ever seen. He was wearing what appeared to be a one-piece outfit made out of a type of material she had never seen before. His hair was very short, and he wore it in an unusual style. Laura had to blink a couple of times to make sure that she wasn't imagining things.

"Hi, you must be new around here. I'm Laura Ingalls, and this is my sister Mary."

The boy smiled uncertainly. "My name's Wesley. Wesley Crusher."

"So where are you from, Wesley?"

"The _Enterprise_."

"Where's that?" Laura was totally baffled.

"It's a starship. My mom is the chief medical officer, and I'm an ensign."

To Laura, he may as well have been speaking Chinese.

Wesley suddenly thought of something. "Hey, what year is this?"

"Eighteen eighty-two." Laura was truly puzzled. How was it that Wesley didn't even know what year it was?

"Oh. Of course." Wesley laughed with relief. "Well, that explains a lot, then."

"What are you talking about?"

"The way you're dressed, for instance."

Laura looked down at her dress. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Wesley said quickly. "I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I'm actually almost five hundred years younger than you. You see, I'm from the future. The twenty-fourth century, to be exact."

Laura's mouth dropped open, and she suddenly felt too weak to stand.

Wesley extended a hand in assistance. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to alarm you." His voice was full of concern.

"That's...that's okay," Laura managed to stammer. "But how could that be true?"

"In the twenty-fourth century, it's possible to travel through time as well as through space," Wesley gently explained.

Laura was too overwhelmed to respond. Wesley gave her a friendly smile. In spite of everything, he did seem to be a very nice boy, she thought.

"Why don't you come home with me and stay for dinner," she suggested.

"Why, thank you very much," Wesley said politely.

* * *

"Ma, Pa, this is Wesley. He's from the _Enterprise_," Laura said by way of introduction.

"I never heard tell of any such place," Pa stated flatly.

"It's a starship. He's from the future. In the future they can travel through time as well as space," Laura explained.

"Is that so?" Pa asked skeptically. He surveyed Wesley very closely from head to toe. Then he nodded appreciatively.

"That is some fancy get-up you've got on there."

Wesley didn't know whether that was a compliment or not.

"Why don't you stay for dinner. Ma's got some tasty vittles ready. Later we can talk some more about this _Enterprise _of yours."

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

"So tell me, Wesley, do your parents know you're here?" Pa asked after dinner.

"There's only my mom, and yes, of course she does."

"So, why don't you tell me some more about this _Enterprise_."

"I'll be happy to. Our mission is to explore new worlds and seek out new civilizations, and also to promote peace, harmony, and understanding between all sentient beings, both humanoid and artificial life forms. We belong to the United Federation Of Planets, which seeks to establish-"

"Whoa there! Back up a minute. Did you just say 'artificial life forms'?"

"Yes, sir, I did. In fact, one of my very best friends is an android. His name is Data and he's a Lieutenant Commander on the _Enterprise_."

"Now hold on a minute. That's crazy talk. Man cannot create life. Only God can do that."

Wesley was rendered speechless. How could he explain to these nineteenth century humans that Data and beings like him, although not human in every respect, were indeed capable of independent thoughts and actions, and so were considered to be, in their own way, 'alive'?

"I'll bet you're tired. Why don't you rest up some while the girls do their homework," Ma suggested.

"Thank you, ma'am, but I'm fine." Wesley was profoundly grateful for the change in topic. He helped Ma clean up after dinner while Mary, Laura, and Carrie did their homework. Then he entertained baby Grace and helped Pa with some of his chores.

"I've got an extra pillow and extra blankets if you'd like to stay the night," Ma offered.

"Of course he's going to stay the night. I'm not sending a boy Laura's age out into the dark and cold with nowhere to go," Pa said.

Laura overheard what her father said, and she felt her heart beat faster with excitement. Although she had only just met Wesley, she liked him and wanted to get to know him better. He was so different from any boy she had ever known. More intelligent and sophisticated, certainly, and there was also another quality she saw in him that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She sensed that Wesley would treat anyone he came into contact with with dignity and respect, no matter who they were or where they came from. To Laura that seemed to be a very rare quality, and it was one that she admired very much.


	2. The New Student

The following morning, Wesley decided to go to school with the girls.

"I don't think you can go dressed like that." Laura looked critically at his Starfleet uniform.

"Oh, I know! You look like you're about the same size as Andy Garvey. Maybe he could loan you some clothes. Let's stop by the Garveys on the way to school and see."

Andy saw them coming and couldn't stop staring at Wesley's uniform.

"Hi Andy, this is Wesley Crusher. He's new here." Laura made the introductions.

"Where in the world did you get that outfit?" Andy asked in amazement.

"This is my Starfleet uniform. Everybody who works on the Enterprise dresses just like me," Wesley explained.

"We were wondering whether you had some regular clothes Wesley could borrow to go to school in," Laura told Andy.

"I'll check." Andy went to his bedroom and returned with a shirt and a pair of overalls. Wesley thought that the texture of the cotton felt strange against his skin, but he didn't complain.

Soon the group arrived at school and found their usual seats. Wesley sat on the boy's side of the room with Andy and the other boys. Miss Wilder turned from the black board to watch them come in.

"I see we have a new student today," she said with a smile.

"My name is Wesley Crusher, ma'am. I'm staying with the Ingalls while I'm here in Walnut Grove," Wesley told her.

"Welcome to our school, Wesley. We're so pleased to have you with us," Miss Wilder told him. "Now, class, if you'll all open your books, we'll get started."

At lunchtime, a tall, attractive blonde approached Wesley.

"Hello, Wesley," she said. "I'm Nellie Oleson." She smiled and batted her eyes at him.

"Well, hello there." Something about the way she was looking at him made him blush furiously. She took his hand and led him to a secluded area between the trees.

"What does your father do?" Nellie asked him.

"He was a lieutenant aboard the _USS Stargazer. _He was killed in the line of duty when I was five years old."

Nellie looked at him curiously. "Why are you staying with the Ingalls family?"

"I am visiting the area temporarily and they were kind enough to offer me a place to stay."

"My father owns Oleson's Mercantile," Nellie bragged.

"Well, that's nice." Wesley couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Why don't you come by sometime?" Nellie offered.

"Thanks. I will." Wesley grinned nervously. By then the lunch period was over and it was time to return to class.

"I met a girl named Nellie Oleson today," Wesley told Laura as they were walking home after school. "She invited me to visit her at her father's mercantile."

Laura wrinkled her nose.

"I take it you don't like her." Wesley chuckled.

"She thinks she's better than everyone else," Laura complained. "And she's always bragging about her parents and how much money they make."

"Running a mercantile?"

"She acts like that's so much better than being a farmer."

"Both are honest professions."

"Try telling _her _that."

Later Wesley reflected upon his first day at the Walnut Grove school. Arithmetic had been a lot more difficult without the option of using calculators, something Wesley had taken for granted his entire life. He just had to grin when he thought of the untold volumes of additional information he could have provided the class with in the subjects of history and science, if he hadn't known that they would have thought him to be crazy. He had thought that Nellie Oleson was attractive, but he hadn't appreciated the manner in which she had spoken to him nor the forward way she had led him to the secluded area between the trees. He thought that Laura, although neither as tall nor as beautiful as Nellie, was a much more likable girl. She was smart, friendly, and down to earth. It occurred to him with a start that if he had met her in his own time period, he wouldn't have minded at all pursuing a relationship with her. Just the thought of that made him feel shy, and at the same time, he had to admit what a crazy idea that seemed. After all, he couldn't stay in this time period forever, and he couldn't take her back to the Enterprise with him. Still, it was an attractive idea...


	3. A Gift From An Angel

One morning, Mary Ingalls didn't get up to go to school with Laura, Carrie, and Wesley.

"My throat hurts!" she cried. "It hurts so bad I can barely swallow."

Ma felt Mary's forehead.

"She does feel feverish, Charles," she told Pa.

So Mary stayed home in bed while the others went to school.

When they returned that evening, Mary seemed worse. She had lain in bed all day long, eating nothing, and was still complaining of an extremely sore throat. She looked very pale and listless as well.

That night, Wesley had one of the worst dreams he had ever had. It was about Geordi Laforge from the _Enterprise_, except that in the dream Geordi was really Mary Ingalls, and Mary was wearing Geordi's visor. Wesley awoke in a cold sweat, unable to get the thought of Laura's beautiful sister having to wear a visor like Geordi's, or even worse, needing such a visor but not having access to one, for the rest of her life, out of his mind.

The next day, Mary felt even worse and had a scarlet rash on her chest. _Scarlet fever, _Wesley realized with a sinking feeling. _A major cause of death or blindness in the nineteenth century._

Mary's eyes became extremely sensitive to light. The curtains had to be drawn all the time in her bedroom, and if a candle or lantern were lit, her eyes closed tightly in pain.

Dr. Baker was summoned. He came to the house, examined Mary, and shook his head.

"I've seen this many times, and the outcome is never certain," he told Ma and Pa. "She could pull through, but there's no guarantee. If she does pull through, there may or may not be permanent damage to her vision. She's in God's hands now. All that we can do is to provide her with the best care possible and leave the rest to Him."

"Keep the room dark at all times. Make sure she gets plenty of fluids. Use this lotion to relieve the discomfort from her rash. Send for me if she gets any worse."

"Oh, Charles." Ma clutched Pa and cried hysterically. "Please, dear God, please don't take my Mary from me. I couldn't bear to lose her."

Pa wrapped his arms around his wife and patted her back in an attempt to comfort her, but his own face looked desolate as well.

Wesley thought of the Prime Directive, which decreed that no Starfleet officer was allowed to interfere with the natural development of a less advanced culture. In the situation of time travel, one was not allowed to do anything to seriously alter the course of history.

Wesley looked at Mary lying helplessly in bed, and her suffering tore at his heart. He knew that he had the means to help her, but he was haunted with the possibility that to do so would violate the Prime Directive. Would introducing medical treatment that was still a good sixty years in the future from the present time seriously interfere with the course of history? Wesley thought of Mary's beautiful clear blue eyes and knew what he had to do. If the course of history were seriously altered in the process, then so be it. He just couldn't leave this poor, innocent girl to her fate when it could be so easily prevented.

Wesley approached Ma and handed her a small bottle filled with little white pills.

"This is penicillin. It's an antibiotic. It will destroy the bacteria that are making Mary sick. Give her one pill in the morning and one pill in the afternoon for ten days in a row. Be sure not to miss a single dose."

Ma looked at the bottle of pills, then looked at Wesley incredulously.

"My mother is the chief medical officer on the _Enterprise. _She has vast quantities of samples of all different kinds of medicine. I take some with me wherever I go in case I meet up with someone who needs them."

Ma looked questioningly at Pa. Pa took the bottle of pills himself and examined them carefully for a long time. Then he handed them back to Ma.

"Do as the boy says," he told her simply.

Ma supported Mary's head with the crook of her arm so that Mary could swallow the pill with some water.

The next day, Mary seemed a bit better, to everyone great relief. Wesley was so very glad that he had followed his heart and offered the penicillin to the Ingalls.

Within several days, Mary's rash and fever were gone, and she was sitting up in bed and talking and eating. By the fifth day, you could barely tell she had been sick at all. The Ingalls were astounded by Mary's seemingly miraculous recovery.

"Whatever was in your pills, Wesley, it's definitely the most remarkable thing I've ever seen," Pa said to Wesley.

"As I said, sir, it's simply an antibiotic. Nothing magical or mysterious about it." He could have gone into a detailed technical explanation of how the enzyme produced by the penicillin broke down the cell wall of the bacteria, but he knew that they wouldn't understand.

"How can I ever thank you for saving my daughter's life and sight?" Ma asked Wesley.

"I didn't save her. The penicillin did," Wesley replied modestly.

That night Wesley was sitting on the porch step looking up at the stars when Laura asked if she could join him.

"It sure is a beautiful night, isn't it?" Wesley remarked. He enjoyed the company of the Ingalls and their friends and neighbors, but he did feel a bit homesick for the _Enterprise _at times. It was on clear, starry nights like this one that he missed his friends the most.

"Best of all, Mary can still enjoy its beauty, thanks to you," Laura said.

"I only did what I had to do," Wesley told her. "If I saw you standing in the path of an out-of-control horse and buggy, I'd have to push you out of the way, wouldn't I? I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. The same principle applies."

"You're the most special boy I've ever known, Wesley. I'll never forget what you did for Mary. For all of us." Suddenly she leaned over and kissed Wesley's cheek.

Wesley sat in amazed silence for a long time after Laura had gone back inside, thinking about how nice Laura's kiss had felt. He thought that it had felt nicer than anything he'd ever experienced before.


	4. Almanzo And Amanda

"Laura and Wesley, I would like you to meet my brother Almanzo and my sister Amanda," Miss Wilder said.

Almanzo was tall, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a good-natured smile. He looked to be about twenty-five years old. Amanda had brown hair, brown eyes, and a shy smile. She looked to be about Laura's age. Wesley thought that she was the prettiest girl he had ever met.

"Howdy," said Almanzo, shaking first Laura's hand and then Wesley's.

"How do you do," Amanda said politely. Wesley felt his heart beat faster as he looked into her eyes. "It's so nice to meet you," he told her.

"Thank you." She blushed.

"Where are you from?" he asked, falling into step beside her.

"I grew up on a farm in New York. My parents still live there. I came west with my brother and sister. Where are you from?"

"A long way away from here," Wesley hedged. He knew from experience that to say more usually elicited a response that was less than positive. Only the Ingalls seemed to accept his circumstances as they were. Amanda looked satisfied with his answer, so he just left it at that.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, it's just me. My father died when I was only five years old."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Amanda looked awkward for a moment. "My brother and sister are both much older than me, so it's almost like I'm an only child too. My ma thought that she was too old to have any more babies, and then all of a sudden I came along as a later-in-life surprise." She laughed softly, and Wesley laughed with her.

"So is your mother remarried then?" asked Amanda.

"No."

Amanda frowned. "Who takes care of her then?"

"She's a doctor. She takes care of herself."

Amanda gasped. "I never heard of a woman being a doctor before!"

"Well, now you have." Wesley grinned, amused.

"So is your mother staying in Walnut Grove as well?"

"No, she's still back home. The Ingalls are friends of mine, and I'm staying with them for awhile."

"For a long while, I hope," Amanda said softly.

Wesley grinned and took her hand.

* * *

After that it became the usual custom for Almanzo to walk Laura to and from school and for Wesley and Amanda to walk together. The more Wesley saw of Amanda, the fonder he became of her. They talked of many things, but Wesley stopped just short of telling her his whole story. Every time he thought that he should, he began to wonder what she would think of him and lost his nerve.

One afternoon, Ma wanted to bake a cake but discovered that she didn't have enough eggs. Wesley offered to go to Oleson's Mercantile to buy some for her.

He had paid for the eggs and was opening the door to walk out when he heard someone speak his name and turned to face Nellie Oleson.

"I haven't seen you in a long time, Wesley. Has Miss Wilder's little sister been keeping you busy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Nellie. My school work and earning my keep at the Ingalls' has been keeping me busy."

"I don't know what you see in her anyway," Nellie continued. "That flat chest and that mousy brown hair. And you can tell by the way she talks and acts that she was raised on a farm."

"There's nothing wrong with being raised on a farm. And there's nothing wrong with Amanda's looks either."

Nellie gave a cruel laugh. "I don't know why you spend so much time with her when you could be spending time with me instead."

"Leave me alone, Nellie. I have to get back home." Wesley tried to walk around her, but she moved so that she was right in front of him, and all of a sudden he felt her lips plastered to his own and jerked away in shock.

"What'd you do that for?"

"Why? Didn't you enjoy it?"

Wesley's face turned beet red. "I gotta go right now, Nellie." He pushed past her and out the door. He didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching the mercantile. Nor did he see the face of Amanda Wilder as, her eyes brimming with tears, she turned and ran in the opposite direction.


	5. The New Grandchild

The next morning, Wesley stopped by Amanda's house to walk her to school as usual.

"Why don't you ask Nellie Oleson to walk to school with you?" she asked bitterly.

Wesley was puzzled. "Because I don't want to walk to school with Nellie Oleson. I want to walk to school with you."

"I saw you kissing her."

"She forced herself on me, Amanda. I didn't kiss her back."

Amanda looked like she didn't know whether to believe him or not.

"I swear it's true, Amanda. I don't even like Nellie."

"She is kind of pushy, isn't she?" Amanda said at last.

Wesley grinned. "That's a mild way of putting it."

Amanda smiled back and took Wesley's hand. Greatly relieved, Wesley walked her to school.

* * *

One afternoon, Wesley and Laura arrived home to find an elderly gentleman whom Wesley had never met sitting in the living room with Ma, who looked like she had been crying.

"Grandpa!" Laura exclaimed, rushing to the man, who hugged and kissed her.

"Wesley, this is my father, Frederick Holbrook," Ma said. "Pa, this is our guest, Wesley Crusher."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Wesley said, shaking Mr. Holbrook's hand.

"Likewise," Mr. Holbrook said.

"Your grandmother passed away on the journey, Laura," Ma said. "her body has been taken to the church. We will have her funeral tomorrow."

"Grandma's gone? Oh, no!" Laura began crying, and so did her mother and grandfather. Sensing that the family members would probably prefer to be alone at that time, Wesley went outside and started on his chores.

The entire town turned out for the funeral, even the Wilders, who hadn't really known the Holbrooks. Even dressed in black, Wesley thought that Amanda was gorgeous. After the graveside service, he went over to her to say hello.

"It's just so sad, isn't it?" Amanda looked as if she were about to cry herself. "Laura and her sisters hadn't seen their grandma in such a long time, and now they'll never see her again."

Wesley, whose grandparents had died before he had been born, wasn't sure exactly what to say. "Yes, it is very sad," he said at last. "But at least they have each other for comfort." He walked her back home quietly.

Mr. Holbrook stayed with the Ingalls for a few weeks after his wife's funeral.

One day there was a knock on the door. It was Adam Kendall, and he was very excited.

"Mary is about to have the baby," he told them.

Adam Kendall was the husband of Laura's sister Mary. He had been a teacher at a school in Iowa, and Mary had met him when she herself had gone to Iowa to teach. They had recently moved back to Walnut Grove.

"Oh, my," Ma said. "I'd better hurry." Quickly, she left with Adam, while the others all stayed behind to wait for news of the baby's birth.

The next morning Ma came back looking tired but happy. "Mary had a baby boy around midnight last night," she told them.

After breakfast, everybody hurried over to the Kendall's house to see the new baby.

Mary was sitting up in bed holding her new son when the family entered the house.

"His name is Adam Charles Holbrook Kendall," she announced. "You're his family too, Grandpa."

The elderly gentleman looked truly happy for the first time since his wife's death. "Thank you, Mary, from the bottom of my heart," he said.

Wesley, feeling somewhat awkward and uncomfortable at the emotional scene, busied himself with thinking about how he would describe it to Amanda later.


	6. Fire!

It was after lunch on a sleepy afternoon, and Laura, Wesley, Amanda, and the other students were reading quietly while struggling to stay awake. Wesley yawned as he turned a page, then noticed an unusual smoky smell. His eyes met Laura's, and he knew that she could smell it too.

Willie Oleson, who had just been to the outhouse, suddenly dashed in.

"Smoke is coming from the back of the building!" he cried.

Instantly the classroom came to life. Miss Wilder and the older students rushed to get the younger ones out as quickly as possible, while trying to calm their fears.

Once everyone was outside, students scattered in all directions in search of buckets to hold water from the well behind the schoolhouse.

"Where's Amanda?" Wesley suddenly realized that she was nowhere to be found. In a panic, he rushed back to the burning schoolhouse and peered into a window, where he saw a still form lying on the floor inside. With a jolt of horror, he realized that the form was Amanda. She must have tripped and hit her head on something in the mad dash to escape the blaze.

"Amanda!" he screamed, dashing for the door.

"No, Wesley! You'll die if you go in there!" cried several onlookers. They tried to hold him back, but with superhuman strength he shook them off.

He ripped his shirt off and wrapped it tightly around his lower face to avoid inhaling the poisonous vapors. Then he sprinted through the door to where she lay, carefully gathered her limp body into his arms, and carried her back out.

As soon as they were safely outside the range of the flames, Wesley gently laid Amanda on the grass. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, and she wasn't breathing.

"Oh, my God! She's dead!" Miss Wilder's body was wracked with sobs.

Wesley placed his mouth over Amanda's and gently exhaled several times. Amanda gasped and coughed, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Oh, thank God!" Miss Wilder clasped her little sister in a tight embrace. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked at Wesley. "She was dead, and you brought her back! You're an angel from heaven!"

"Hardly." Wesley chuckled. "She was unconscious, not dead. I just gave her some of my breath to help her to wake up again."

"What you did was a miracle," Miss Wilder went on. "Reverend Alden will definitely hear from me about this."

"What I did is called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It's what you do to get someone's respiratory system working again when something like this happens." Wesley's heart was suddenly filled with compassion for these inhabitants of the nineteenth century.

Amanda sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What happened?"

"There was a fire," Wesley explained. "You bumped your head and fell down. I picked you up and brought you to safety."

Amanda began to cry. "Oh, Wesley, you saved my life."

Wesley grinned shyly. "Oh, Amanda, I'm just so glad you're all right." He gently took her hand in his own.

Amanda looked into his eyes. "I love you, Wesley," she said, as tears streamed down her face.

"I love you too, Amanda." He kissed her lips tenderly, and when he looked into her eyes again, he saw that they were shining with joy.


	7. To Have And To Hold

"What a beautiful ceremony," sighed Amanda, as she and Wesley left the church after Laura and Almonzo's wedding. She had been a bride's maid, and Wesley had been best man. Wesley thought that he had never seen Amanda look as beautiful as she did in her bride's maid's dress.

"It certainly was," Wesley agreed as they walked along. There was something important that he wanted to ask her, but every time he thought about it, he felt his pulse race and his mouth go dry.

"I keep wondering what my own wedding will be like," Amanda continued. "If it's half as nice as my brother's was, I'll be happy."

_It's now or never, _Wesley told himself.

"Amanda, I've been thinking..."

"Yes?"

"Well, now that we're both finally finished with school, and I'm working with Almonzo full time..."

Amanda continued to look at him expectantly as he struggled to find the words.

"I love you, Amanda, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Wesley knelt on one knee. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh yes, I will!" Amanda's eyes danced with happiness. Wesley stood and hugged and kissed her.

"I will speak to Reverend Alden as soon as I get the chance," he promised.

* * *

"Ah, Wesley, do come in." Reverend Alden opened the door for him. "You're the local miracle worker I've heard so much about, who saved Mary Ingalls' sight when she had scarlet fever and saved Amanda Wilder's life after she was in the fire."

"I'm no miracle worker, sir," Wesley said with a laugh. "Both antibiotics and artificial resuscitation are readily available to everyone in the time period from whence I came."

"It must be a time period of great wonders."

"Many medical and scientific advances, yes, and many new challenges also, of course."

"Well, at any rate, I'm sure you were sent to us by God for a special purpose."

"I'm just so very glad I've had the opportunity to be of assistance," Wesley said modestly.

"Well, now, what can I do for you on this fine day?"

"Well, sir, I have asked for Amanda Wilder's hand in marriage. She has accepted, and I would like for you to perform the ceremony."

"Of course, Wesley. I would consider it to be a great honor."

* * *

Wesley stood nervously at the front of the church as he watched the family members and guests file in. He was dressed in his best suit, and he had carefully arranged his hair that morning until it looked just right. He felt sad that his mother and his friends from the _Enterprise _couldn't be there, but he knew that he and Amanda would have had their blessing. His mother would have loved Amanda; of that Wesley was certain.

The entire Ingalls family was there, of course; Almonzo and Laura came, and so did Adam and Mary Kendall and baby Charlie. He was about a year old now, with chubby cheeks, sandy brown hair like his father, and big blue eyes like his mother. He had just learned to walk and toddled around the church curiously, wanting to investigate everything he saw. Despite his nervousness, Wesley had to smile.

At last the organist was playing 'Here Comes The Bride', and Amanda was walking down the aisle escorted by her father. Wesley, mesmerized by Amanda's beauty, almost forgot to be nervous.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Wesley Robert Crusher and Amanda May Wilder in holy matrimony," Reverend Alden began.

Solemnly, Wesley and Amanda exchanged their vows, and Reverend Alden pronounced them man and wife.

"You may kiss the bride," Reverend Alden said, and Wesley gently lifted Amanda's veil and kissed her lips.

After the ceremony, Laura was the first to embrace Wesley. "Now we really are family," she said happily. Wesley reflected on the infatuation he had felt for Laura after he had first met her, and the disappointment and jealousy he had felt when he had discovered that she had fallen in love with Almonzo. But he had fallen for Amanda very shortly afterwards, so he supposed that it had all been for the best. He loved Laura as a sister now, and knew that she felt the same way about him.

After everybody had said good-bye to the new couple and wished them well, Wesley and Amanda journeyed together to their new home. Wesley picked Amanda up and carried her across the threshold.

"Amanda, my darling, I've waited for this moment for so long," Wesley said, as he took her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Then he took her hand and led her into the bedroom, where they resumed kissing.

After a while, Wesley gently removed Amanda's clothing, and then his own. For a long time they slowly explored one another's bodies, lovingly caressing every inch of naked flesh, until their longing to become one became so great that they couldn't bear it anymore. Knowing that it was Amanda's first time, Wesley entered her ever so slowly and gently, trying his best not to hurt her. She did utter one yelp of pain, causing Wesley to pause momentarily and stroke and kiss her until she begged him to continue.

After it was over, they lay in bed holding each other for a long time, enjoying the intimacy of the moment.

"I hope that it was everything you ever dreamed it would be," Wesley told Amanda.

"It was that, and more," Amanda replied. "I never dreamed that it would be so beautiful. I feel so much closer to you now than I ever have before."

"I feel closer to you, too," Wesley said. "I never thought that I could love another person as much as I love you." He didn't tell her that it had been the first time for him as well. He wasn't ashamed of that fact, but he didn't know quite how to tell her, and he also wasn't sure how she would take it, so he thought it best not to mention it. He was sure that it didn't really matter anyway.


	8. Rose And Lily

Wesley found that he enjoyed being married very much. It was always so nice to come home to Amanda's beautiful face and a delicious meal prepared by her after a hard day's work. Wesley and Amanda's home was very close to Almonzo and Laura's home, and the two couples spent a lot of time together, going on picnics, camp-outs, long walks, or swimming in the summer, and sitting beside the fire reading aloud, singing, or talking in the winter.

In April Laura received some exciting news. She was expecting a baby, due to be born in December. Excited, she rushed right over to tell Amanda, while the men were still at work.

"Wow, that's great!" Wesley was surprised by happy for his friends. It was hard to think of Laura as being old enough to be a mother, even though she had already graduated from school and gotten married.

The winter chill had finally left the air, and the trees were beginning to grow new green leaves. Wesley liked this time of year the best.

That Saturday, Wesley and Amanda had to go to the mercantile to buy some supplies. Percival and Nellie Dalton were there with their three-month-old twins, Jennifer and Benjamin.

"They're adorable," Amanda commented.

"Thank you," said Percival, who was holding both twins.

"Which one is older?"

"Jennifer is about ten minutes older than Benjamin."

"Laura's going to have a baby, too, in December."

"Is that right?" Percival raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Another Ingalls grandchild! Now little Charlie Kendall will have someone to play with!'

Wesley and Amanda made their purchases and began the walk back home.

"It seems that a lot of people we know are having babies," Amanda remarked. "First Nellie, and now Laura." She looked a little sad.

"What's the matter?" Wesley asked.

"Nothing much. I guess I just feel a little bit left out, is all."

Wesley gave her a hug. "Our turn will come soon, Amanda. I just know that it will."

For the first couple of months of the summer, Laura often didn't feel well, suffering from fatigue and nausea frequently. By July she was almost back to her normal self again. On the fourth of July, there was a big celebration in Walnut Grove, with a picnic, a band playing patriotic music, and fire works.

"Aren't they spectacular?" Amanda said. She and Wesley stood with their arms around each other watching the display. Suddenly, Wesley turned around and kissed Amanda passionately on the lips.

Amanda was startled. "What was that for?" she asked.

"For being so beautiful, and for loving me."

That night their bodies came together easily and naturally, both of them caught up in the magic of the star-filled night and the mood of celebration.

* * *

"I need to see Dr. Baker," Amanda told Wesley one day about a month later. "I'm tired all the time, and I can't keep anything down."

"I hope nothing is seriously wrong," Wesley said. They both had a pretty good idea of what the matter was, but they were afraid to bring it up for fear of jinxing it.

That evening after work, Wesley approached his front door with trepidation. He knew that he would find Amanda either bursting with happiness or with her eyes red-rimmed from crying. The suspense was almost more than he could bear.

He didn't have to wait for long. Before he was even close enough to open the door, Amanda was swinging it open. "Hello, Daddy!" she greeted him.

Wesley laughed and scooped her up into his arms. He spun her around a couple of times, and then they both collapsed on the sofa, breathless and giggling.

"When?" Wesley asked.

"In about April, Dr. Baker thinks."

"Is everything all right?"

"So far, everything's fine. Oh my God, I'm so excited! I can't wait to tell Laura!"

By now, Laura's belly was so big that she had outgrown all her regular clothes and had to wear maternity clothes. One Saturday Almonzo took her to the mercantile to buy the material, and she came back home and spent most of the day sewing.

The colors of the leaves changed from green to red and yellow, and the trees began to grow bare. Carrie and Grace Ingalls returned to school. By the time of the first snow, Laura's belly was so big that the way she walked changed and become more similar to the waddle of a duck. She also complained of frequent backaches.

One early morning in December, Almonzo knocked on Wesley and Amanda's door.

"Will you please come stay with Laura?" he asked Amanda. "I have to fetch Dr. Baker, and she's afraid of being left alone. She's about to have the baby."

"Of course!" Amanda hurried to get dressed and sped over to the Wilder's house.

Wesley got some work done around the house that morning, but his mind wasn't really on it. He hoped that everything would be all right with Laura and the baby, but he knew that in the nineteenth century, men weren't welcome participants in the childbirth process.

It was near time for the evening meal when Amanda finally returned, looking exhausted but happy.

"Laura had a little girl, and she's beautiful! Her name is Rose, and she weighs eight pounds."

Wesley, unsure when Amanda would return, had prepared dinner. It wasn't like Amanda's cooking, but it was edible. Amanda expressed her appreciation, and said that it was delicious, but Wesley knew that she was just being polite.

After washing and putting away the dishes and silverware, Amanda sat quietly on the sofa with Wesley, relaxing. Suddenly, without any warning, she burst into tears.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Wesley attempted to comfort his wife.

"Oh Wesley, I'm so scared! I didn't know that having a baby was so painful! I've never seen anyone in as much pain as Laura was in today!"

Amanda clung to the front of Wesley's shirt and sobbed. Wesley put his arm around her and patted her on the back. He wished that he could think of something to say that would make her feel better.

"I know you're scared, Amanda, but everything's going to be just fine," he told her. "Women have been having babies for a long time, and sure it's painful, but they come out all right in the end, and you will too." He tried to remember what his mother had told him about his own birth, which hadn't been much. Amanda's sobbing finally abated, and she lay still and quiet in Wesley's arms with her head resting on his shoulder.

* * *

It was late evening during a thunderstorm in April when Amanda's contractions began.

"I'll go for Dr. Baker," Wesley said promptly.

"You can't go out in this!" Amanda protested. "You'll be killed!" They saw a bolt of lightning and heard a deafening clap of thunder. Wesley stood silently, undecided.

"Please," Amanda begged. "The storm will let up soon. Besides, I've always heard that first babies take longer to come."

Reluctantly, Wesley turned away from the door. As the sky turned darker, the storm showed no signs of letting up. Soon it was pitch black outside. Amanda's contractions seemed to come fairly regularly, and they didn't seem to be that far apart, either. With a stab of panic, Wesley realized that going for Dr. Baker was now out of the question.

Frantically, he tried to remember everything he had ever heard about delivering babies. He knew that one was supposed to boil water, gather soft towels, and have a pair of scissors handy to cut the umbilical cord.

"I can't take it anymore, Wesley! It hurts so bad! Help me!" Amanda groaned.

"You're doing just fine, sweetheart," Wesley said gently, patting her hand. "It'll be all over with in just a little bit." He wasn't sure at all whether or not that was true, but he knew that he had to say something to try to calm her.

It was shortly after midnight when Amanda's expression changed to one of sheer terror.

"They baby's coming right now!" she screamed. Wesley could see the top of the baby's head beginning to emerge from between Amanda's legs.

"It's all right, Amanda. Everything's all right." Wesley wanted desperately to hold her comfort her, but he knew that he had to be prepared to catch the baby.

Amanda pushed mightily a few more times, and soon the baby's entire head was out. First one shoulder, and then the other slipped out. As the baby's entire body slid out, Wesley caught it and ever so gently placed it on Amanda's belly. He deftly cut the umbilical cord, and the baby began to thrash and cry.

"It's a girl!" Wesley proclaimed. Amanda laughed with happiness and relief as he cleaned the baby and wrapped her in a clean blanket.

"I want to name her Lily," Amanda said. "I like flower names too, just like Laura does."

"That's a beautiful name," Wesley agreed. "And her middle name can be Amanda."

"Thank you," Amanda said with a smile. She and baby Lily were both soon asleep, and Wesley fell into an exhausted slumber beside them.


	9. Back Aboard The Enterprise

Lily grew to be a beautiful little girl. She gained weight rapidly on Amanda's breast milk, her arms and legs filling out nicely and becoming plump. Her skin became smoother, wispy sandy-brown hair grew on top of her head, and her eyes became the same shade of dark brown that Wesley's and Amanda's were.

One day when Lily was six months old, Wesley arrived home looking very serious.

"Did something happen?" asked Amanda, cradling Lily in her arms. Lily cooed and waved her arms when she saw her father.

"I have to go back now, Amanda," Wesley said solemnly.

"What are you talking about? Back where?" Amanda was confused.

"Back home, to my mother and shipmates," Wesley explained. "I want very much for you and Lily to come with me, but I won't force you to. Please understand that I have to go back, Amanda. I have no choice. When I told my mother that I wanted to visit the United States of the nineteenth century, I had no idea what would come of it. Originally, I intended to visit for a brief period of time and then return to my own time period. I had no idea that I would find a family, make friends, fall in love, and get married. But that's what happened, and now I must go back." Wesley looked profoundly troubled.

"Please say you'll come with me, Amanda. You and Lily are my life. To lose you would be to lose a part of myself, the most important part."

"Of course we'll come with you, Wesley, but I'm scared. I know that life in your time is very different from life here. I'll be totally lost."

"You're right, Amanda. It is very different. But I'll be with you, and I'll help you all I can. You'll get used to it. It took me a long time to get used to life here too, but I eventually did."

"I'm going to miss Almonzo and Laura, and the Ingalls, and the rest of our family and friends."

"I'll miss them too, Amanda. But you'll make new friends. I can't wait for you to meet my mother. I know she's going to love you."

"I hope she will. I've never met a lady who's a doctor before."

Wesley grinned. "That's something about my time period that's really neat. There are some many more jobs that women can do there."

Wesley and Amanda visited the Ingalls and said their good-byes.

"You've been like a son to me," Pa told Wesley, with tears in his eyes. "It seems like just yesterday that I met you, and now you're as much a part of the family as the others are. I'm really going to miss you."

Ma gave Wesley a big hug and kissed his cheek. "Good-bye, dear. I'll never forget how you saved our Mary's life and sight." She kissed Lily's cheek as Amanda held her. "Good-bye to you too, my little angel. You're going to be a beautiful girl some day." She hugged and kissed Amanda and said good-bye to her too.

Next Wesley and Amanda went to say their good-byes to Almonzo, Laura, and baby Rose, and then to Adam, Mary, and little Charlie.

At last they were ready to leave and were beamed aboard the _Enterprise._

"Wesley!" Dr. Beverly Crusher rushed to her son's side and embraced him. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Mom, this is my wife Amanda, and this is your grandaughter Lily," Wesley said proudly.

"Hello, dear." Beverly hugged and kissed Amanda and then turned her attention to Lily. "Oh, Wesley, she's beautiful!"

Beverly took Lily into her arms and spoke tenderly to her. Lily gazed up at her grandmother with rapt attention, and rewarded Beverly's playful antics with smiles and gurgles. After a few moments, she became fussy and wanted her mother again.

"You have a beautiful family, Wesley. I'm so proud of you," Beverly told her son.

"Thanks, Mom."

"With a wife and daughter, you'll need larger quarters, of course," Beverly said. "Why don't you come with me to meet Captain Picard, and then you can show Amanda around the _Enterprise _while I talk to him and see what we can work out."

Amanda met and shook hands with Captain Picard and Commander Riker, and then Wesley took her to engineering and introduced her to Geordi and Data. "Data's the android I told you about," he said.

"What's that thing you're wearing?" Amanda asked Geordi.

"It's called a Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement, VISOR for short," Geordi explained. "I was born blind, and my VISOR enables me to see in a way similar, but not identical, to the way normal human eyes see."

"Remarkable," Amanda commented.

"And you are an artificial life form?" she asked Data incredulously.

"That is correct," he replied. "My physical strength and intelligence are both far superior to those of an average human, although I lack the ability to feel emotion."

"Do you mean you never feel happy, sad, angry, excited, or worried?"

"That is correct. Neither am I able to feel genuine love toward another individual."

"That is just so sad," Amanda said. "I can't even begin to imagine what an empty life that would be."

"There is no need to pity me, Amanda," Data said gently. "As I have always been the way I am now, I feel no sense of loss. I do not consider my life to be empty at all. I do, however, possess an insatiable curiosity about concepts such as humor, although I am incapable of experiencing them directly."

"Well, I would love to help you in any way I can," Amanda offered.

"That is very kind of you," Data told her.

Next Wesley took Amanda to security and introduced her to Tasha Yar and Worf.

"What's that on your forehead?" Amanda asked Worf.

"I am a Klingon, from the planet of the same name," Worf replied. "All Klingons have foreheads just like mine."

"Can I touch you?"

Worf nodded.

Amanda ran her hand over the bony protuberances on Worf's forehead, feeling the leathery texture of his skin covering them.

"Thank you. That's very interesting."

Worf smiled.

Wesley took Deanna to meet Counselor Deanna Troi next.

"Are you also from Earth?" Amanda asked her, noticing that Deanna looked completely human.

"No, I'm from a planet called Betazed. My father was human, however." Deanna smiled warmly. "Your daughter is so beautiful. May I hold her?"

Lily went to Deanna even more easily than she had gone to her grandmother Beverly.

Amanda smiled. "Do you have children yourself?"

"No, not yet. I hope to someday."

Beverly arrived to show Wesley and Amanda to their new quarters. Amanda was absolutely amazed. "A machine that washes dishes! One that washes clothing! Another one that dries clothing!"

Wesley laughed. "Actually, those have all been around since the twentieth century. Transporters, phasers, tricorders, food replicators, PADDs - those are all more recent."

Wesley picked up the remote control and turned on the TV.

"Why are those people so tiny? And how did they get inside that box?"

"What you're watching is actually a recording of those people that was made earlier. The recording is played in a particular place and transported through wires into many different individual televisions."

Amanda stared at the screen, fascinated.

"It can be very addictive as well." Wesley turned off the TV. "Come with me." Amanda obediently followed him into the bedroom, where he showed her the alarm clock and the radio.

"There are so many different things to keep one occupied. How does one possibly find the time to do them all?" Amanda asked.

"One advantage of modern-day technology is that it provides more leisure time to pursue pleasurable activities," Wesley told her. "But what you've seen so far is nothing. Wait until you see the holodeck."

"Holodeck?"

"You're in for a real treat," Wesley promised her. They left Lily for Beverly to babysit, and Wesley took Amanda's hand and led her to the holodeck.

"This is one of my favorites," he told her. The computer simulation he chose was that of a late twentieth century Italian restaurant on the west coast of the United States.

He and Amanda were escorted to their tables and given menus to look at. Violin music played as Amanda slowly took in her surroundings. Wesley watched her with tender amusement.

As Amanda had never tasted Italian food, Wesley ordered a mildly seasoned dish that he thought she might enjoy for her. While waiting for their meals to arrive, they rose to dance. Amanda looked totally lost.

"It's easy," Wesley whispered to her. "Just follow my lead." He held her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Soon they were moving just as the several other couples on the dance floor were.

Their food arrived steaming hot. Wesley watched as Amanda tasted hers.

"How do you like it?" he asked.

"It's...like nothing I ever tasted before, but nice." Amanda wasn't quite able to finish hers, so they asked for a carry-out box.

"Thank you for a lovely dinner," Amanda said as they headed back to their quarters.

"It was my pleasure," Wesley told her.

"How was Lily?" Amanda asked Beverly as soon as they were inside.

"Just fine. She's been asleep for about thirty minutes," Beverly replied, preparing to return to her own quarters.

"Thank you so much for watching her for us, Mom," Wesley said.

"No problem at all. She's a beautiful baby," Beverly said.

After glancing briefly at their daughter sound asleep in her new crib, Wesley and Amanda silently prepared for their first night together on the _Enterprise._


	10. The New Ensign

Amanda continued to be astounded by all the wonders of the twenty-fourth century, and for awhile, adjusting to life aboard the _Enterprise _while caring for Lily and focusing on her relationship with Wesley kept her fully occupied. Beverly enjoyed spending time with her granddaughter, and much of her off time was spent visiting Amanda and Lily in their quarters. Lily soon got over her initial shyness and began to laugh and clap her hands when she saw her grandmother.

Sometimes when Wesley returned from his starship duties, he would find Amanda just sitting and staring into space with a far-away look in her eyes. When he asked her what was wrong, she just smiled and told him that everything was fine. One afternoon, he came home and found her crying her heart out. Tenderly, he gathered her into his arms and lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

"Amanda, please tell me what's been bothering you. It breaks my heart to see you like this. Have I done something to make you unhappy?"

"Oh, no, Wesley. It's not you at all. It's just that I miss my family on Earth so much. I know you can do a holodeck simulation of Walnut Grove in the 1880's and even of my friends and family, but it's still not the same."

Wesley felt terrible for his wife, but as the captain had told him that time travel wasn't possible at the time, and wouldn't be for awhile, he felt helpless to do anything to make her feel better.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Earth, new ensign Seth Wilder was eager to begin his new career aboard the _Enterprise. _He had just graduated Starfleet Academy, and although he felt somewhat apprehensive about leaving behind the only home he had ever known, planet Earth, he was much more excited over the coming opportunity to explore new worlds. Seth was the first in his family to graduate from Starfleet Academy and choose a career in outer space. His forefathers had been farmers in the midwestern United States for the past five hundred years.

As soon as Seth was beamed aboard, he looked around at his new crew mates and noticed that most of them appeared to be human, except for one Klingon and another man who looked mostly human except for his skin, which appeared to be much paler than normal, and his eyes, which were yellow. Seth was very curious about him.

Wesley, Amanda, and Lily were all there to meet the new ensign.

"Wilder is my maiden name!" Amanda shouted when she heard Seth's surname.

"Really?" Seth was surprised. "Where are you from?"

"Walnut Grove."

"A distant ancestor of mine was from Walnut Grove too," "Seth told her. "His name was Almonzo Wilder, and his wife's maiden name was Laura Ingalls."

A thrill of excitement went through Amanda. "That's my brother and sister-in-law!" she exclaimed.

Seth was shocked.

"My wife was born in the nineteenth century," Wesley explained. "I visited that time period for several years and met Amanda during my stay. We were married there, and then she came back with me when it was time for me to return to the _Enterprise."_

"Wow, that's amazing!" Seth declared. "My distant ancestor Almonzo did have a younger sister named Amanda who vanished along with her husband and infant daughter in about the mid 1880's. Nothing was ever heard of them again."

"We're right here!" Amanda exclaimed. "We've been here for several weeks now. So you're a descendant of Almonzo and Laura's daughter Rose?"

"No. Almonzo and Laura also had a son, Wesley, who was born several years after Rose. Wesley was my ancestor."

Wesley was very flattered that Almonzo and Laura had chosen to name their son after him.

"I want to know all about what became of them," Amanda said.

"They continued to farm in the midwest for the rest of their lives. Almonzo lived to be ninety-one years old, and Laura lived to be ninety. Rose married but never had any children. Wesley married and had one son, named Almonzo after his grandfather. Unfortunately, Wesley was killed in France in World War I. The younger Almonzo was just a baby at the time. His mother remarried, but Almonzo kept the Wilder surname. He went on to receive several medals of honor for serving in World War II, and he died shortly before the beginning of the twenty-first century."

"Laura wrote many books about her childhood and early adult years when she was older. I'll bet they're probably in the library on board the _Enterprise, _in the juvenile section."

"I can't wait to see them!" Amanda said enthusiastically.

Seth laughed. "Just let me get settled in, and we'll go together," he told her.

"Why don't you join us for dinner," Amanda said.

"Thanks, that's very kind of you," Seth replied.

After Seth's arrival, Amanda's normally cheerful deameanor returned. Wesley was happy that his wife's encounter with a distant relative had seemed to cure her depression. Seth and Amanda went on to become very close, almost like brother and sister. Wesley wasn't jealous at all and became good friends with Seth himself. For both Wesley and Amanda, it was just as if they had gotten part of what they had lost back. Lily also grew to love Seth, as she loved her grandmother Beverly.


End file.
